boogaloo

Vintage Find: Dresser

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:13:00 +0000

I picked up this old dresser from the Thrift store. Paid $50 and figured it was worth it. I don't know that much about antiques, vintage finds but I figured it was very solid, and the name on the inside of the drawer with beautiful dove-tail joints were a good sign of it being old-ish... and of quality too.

I think I loved its original knobs the most!

The top of the dress had beautiful wood grain but needed to be sanded and refinished.

A lot of work ~ as I learned from this project.

I'd recently heard about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint and thought this dresser would be a good first project. I figured if it didn't work out, there was little investment and I could just sand it anyway.

But chalk paint is a fabulous product - easy to use and the learning curve is quick. There's no sanding required. I know. I was sold there. And when combined with a dark wax, it gives you a fantastic French country look. Which is a look I love but had never attempted.
Until now...

Aaah. I love those knobs even more now.

With just one project behind me I feel like I can easily tackle many more!!Seriously. This paint is so easy to use. Go get some!

Now to tackle those floors.....

2 baby quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:45:00 +0000

I've emerged from my sewing room to give you a peek at two of my latest projects - baby quilts!

I saw this one on pinterest and just had to make one too. I made my own pattern based on the photo and went with aqua-blues and yellow for a gender neutral quilt.

For this next one, I used a pattern from a book but it's a popular quilt design, often referred to as Chinese Coins.

This was truly a lot of fun to put together and is the most girly quilt I've made to date! The top is a mix of flannels and the bottom is regular quilting cotton.

Now if you'll excuse me - all this quilting has made a real mess of my sewing room! Off to go clean!

Photo dump and an update

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:08:00 +0000

As you may have noticed, I've been struggling with time lately - or lack thereof.
I seem to have so little time to sew and even less to post here on my blog.

So today, I'm taking the time to show you a couple of things I've been working on.

The living room update that I posted about here is moving along (slowly). We had a new bay window installed which seems to meet our cat Riley's approval. (I love it too)

He's claimed it as his own space.
Plans to paint and sew a cushion for the window seat are in the works. One day.

I've been working on my mantel as well. I held my breath and painted the wooden mirror I had hung there before.

My apologies for the crooked picture.

Thankfully I like how it turned out. And.... check out my new milk glass! Most of it I bought on a recent trip to New England. I love milk glass but it seems to be a bit more of a challenge to find it here in Canada.

I've learned that I'm not one of those people who can just throw a bunch of stuff together and it just looks good. I'm always changing things up and have to really work at it.

One of my beautiful nieces turned 12 this month. I'm late sending off her birthday gift but I hope she'll like it. She loves Wonder Woman (how cool is she, right?) so her mom asked me to make a WW apron. I made it big enough that she'll have it for a few years.

I've been working on a few other sewing projects but you'll have to wait to see those.
Sorry! Outta time!
Thanks for stopping by,

Hot Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:15:00 +0000

I've been puttering around doing small sewing projects here and there lately

I realize that I haven't been posting much so this is kind of a two-for-one today.

Here are a couple of gifts I've whipped up.

I usually resist the cheesiness of giving someone a hot pad as a gift but I just couldn't resist the cuteness of this first pattern.

I made this for a friend who happens to love owls and is working on adding red accessories to her kitchen.

The pattern is called 'Hot Who' by Susie C Shore Designs and can be found here.

For my mother (who loves to cook), I made this next one to match her dining room colours:

I created my own simple pattern for this one, and it doubles as sort of an oven mitt.

So cheesy or not, these little hot pads come together fairly quickly and make a great - last minute -

hostess gift ........ perhaps along with a bottle of wine to go with ;)

Thanks for reading,

Forest Friends Baby Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 20:00:00 +0000

A good friend of mine is about to become a grandmother.

Seriously she is too young to be a grandmother!!

I'm so excited for the big changes her family is about to embrace and I just

know that this little boy is already so lucky to belong to such amazing parents to be.

They are young parents (by today's standards anyway) and I know they will be such fun,

loving parents.

As I've said here before, I'm learning how to free motion quilt and decided

that this would a perfect opportunity to test out my skillz.

I bought a panel of flannel fabric called 'Forest Friends' by Mint Blossom with

coordinating leaf fabric for the binding.

The backing isn't part of the collection but thought it matched so well.
And it's such a fun, playful print.

This is where I learned that I prefer quilting in larger, more free flowing patterns!!

But all in all, it was great practice and most importantly, I think our mom-to-be was happy to have received it.

Congratulations Tori and Simon!

Treasure Pocket Pants

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 14:20:00 +0000

My little guy's turning 5 this month.

The only thing he asked me for his birthday was a remote control truck (check).

But I also wanted to give him something homemade.

Ever since I saw the book Sewing for Boys, I've wanted to make the Treasure Pocket Pants.

But with the warmer weather, I decided on a pair of cotton shorts and altered the pattern...

...which meant I could get away with just using a fat quarter for the contrast panel.

I'm kicking myself for not buying more of that Japanese moped fabric.

The top of the shorts are also a bit different from the pattern - it wasn't intentional,

just the result of late night sewing/interpretation of instructions ;)

Thanks for stopping by,

Once Upon a Thread

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Hi!

I'm over at one of my favourite blogs talking about one of my favourite books today!

Check out Katy's gorgeous blog at No Big Dill!

Shiver Me Timbers! ~ A Pirate Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:21:00 +0000

I've been working on a little surprise for my boys.

I'm excited to finish it up but find myself with multiple projects on the go and not enough time in the day.

This is the first quilt that I've free-motion 'quilted' so there's room for improvement.
But I'm pretty happy with the results so far.

I have yet to tie off my threads and bind it, but I haven't decided how to quilt the stars yet.
Stitch in the ditch or maybe little skulls in the center of each...

I used Jaybird Quilts pattern 'Unwind' for the front,

and the back is a panel that I bordered with grey Michael Miller fabric.

I can hardly wait to see my boys snuggling up together under this quilt to watch a little TV.

Painted Lady Butterfly

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:36:00 +0000

We ordered caterpillars once again this year and the fascination remains.

The Painted Ladies have emerged.

Happy Victoria Day weekend to all my Canadian friends!

Thrift Store Cabinet - Before and After

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:12:00 +0000

Little by little, I've been working on redoing my living room.

I'm trying to reclaim the space from my kids but when you're on a budget, it's a slow process.

I scored this cabinet from the Thrift store that I thought would work well in the room - with a little TLC.

I paid $40 for it. You can't really tell from the picture but it's about 4 feet tall. I love that it has glass doors!

I'm not too sure how old it is - I'm thinking 60s or 70s era.

I knew I wanted to paint it black, but had envisioned a bold graphic print on the inside back panel. I thought about a bold colour like turquoise... but just couldn't commit.

Then I fell in love with this fabric and decided to use it.

I covered foam board (from the dollar store) for an easy change-up if when I get tired of it.

And the result....

I changed out the knobs with ones I already had from a previous project.

Then I just threw some things in (will have to rearrange them later).

Those of you with a keen eye will notice the new paint colour in the room.

That's Benjamin Moore's Wish. My new favourite paint colour. For now.

You might have also noticed that I need longer curtains. I haven't gotten to that yet.

And I think I'll wait since this room's getting new windows soon!

I'm anxious to have a grown-up space of my own again but it feels like it's taking forever!

Baby steps.

Thanks for reading,

Quilty Pillow

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:24:00 +0000

I've been working at reclaiming my living room from the kids -

and trying to convert it to a more inviting 'adult' space.

And because I've been bitten by the quilting bug, I thought I'd make a new pillow for the couch.

This is a much smaller quilting project than my last one but it packs a lot more punch!

I was anxious to really sink my teeth into a more modern style of 'quilting'.

I use the term loosely because really - it is a pieced pillow sham.

It's a slip cover so there was no actual 'quilting' or sandwiching involved.

Hidden zipper in back

The pillow cover is removable so I can throw it in the wash (did I mention I have two boys?!).

Now I just need to make one more!

Thanks for reading :)

Acquiring new skills

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:45:00 +0000

So this is what I've been up to lately.

Quilting! Or more specifically - peicing a quilt.

I took a class and learned how to sew these various blocks into what's called a sampler quilt.

Next I'm taking a machine quilting class so I can learn how to free-motion quilt this baby and call 'er done!

Stay tuned...

a country table

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:18:00 +0000

I recently made this gift for our friend Susan before she moved away to the country. After many years of living in an apartment in the city, she bought a house of her own and was moving many miles away.

I already wished we saw Susan more often than we did. But now this move means that I will see this dear friend even less. She has been so amazing to our little family over the years and we're so appreciative.

But even with this sadness, I am truly excited for her and for her new life ahead.

Often when we spend time together it is over a big meal like Thanksgiving or Easter. So I thought it was very appropriate to make her a table runner for enjoying big country meals in her new country home.

I didn't use a pattern for it, just sort of made it up as I went along.
I'm happy with how it turned out - especially the binding. This was the first project where I felt like I mastered (or almost mastered) the art of binding! I wish I had done more quilting on it but time only allowed for stitch in the ditch. And if I'm going to be honest, I didn't have the courage to do free motion quilting.... just yet anyway.

Something from Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:47:00 +0000

I recently made this little mouse for a friend.

She asked me to make something for her daughter from a pillow that had belonged to her grandmother.

This project reminded me of one of my favourite children's books by Canadian author and illustrator Phoebe Gilman, called Something from Nothing.

Image Source

Every little boy should own a copy of this heartwarming book. It's the story of a grandfather re-working the fabric of a favourite blanket throughout the early years of the little boy's life.

I thought this project would be such a sweet gift from something of generations past.

The pillow was made of a fabric that frayed very easily so I decided to use just a bit of it to applique the belly and ear patches of the mouse, and let it do just that - fray. For the rest of the mouse I used quilting cotton in coordinating fabrics and filled it with the stuffing from the pillow.

Mabelle the Mouse

I made a little pinwheel quilt for the mouse. The button in the center was created with that special pillow fabric. And you'll have to read the book for the significance of the blanket and button :)

To make this mouse I used a pattern found in this adorable book, Sewn Toy Tales - by Melly & Me:

Image Source

Thanks for reading.

sunsets

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:11:00 +0000

As you might have guessed by the lack of action on my wee blog these days, I've been super busy.

Truthfully, with less time on my hands, I've chosen to spend it sewing rather than blogging. So I do have some projects to share, and I hope to very soon!

But for now I want to share a picture from our family vacation late last year.

We traveled to Barbados to celebrate Christmas.

Each night we would walk down to the beach to watch the sun set.
And every night it was so magical.

Barbados is breathtaking.

simple neck warmers

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:04:00 +0000

Just popping in to show you a quick little project today.

It's one that's great for Canadian winters.

It will soon be time to bundle my little guys up and they needed some new scarves.
I actually prefer neck warmers to scarves. They fit nice and snug inside their coats and there's no risk of them getting snagged on something. Fleece is a great choice for these, not only for the warmth, but also because it doesn't fray!

I whipped these up in no time by cutting a piece of scrap fleece into a rectangle about 10 x 20 inches long. I folded it in half and stitched up the middle to form a tube.

And that's it!

I love simplicity.

Now we're ready for winter!

Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Boy it's been quiet around these parts lately. Sorry about that! I've had a lot of great changes in my life lately, particularly a career change. So my family has been adjusting to new routines and I've been pretty focused on work these past few weeks.

Despite all this, I finally managed to get back into my sewing room and start on my Christmas list of things to make.

A good friend of mine celebrates Christmas with her family by getting new pajamas for everyone. Each year they keep it fun by creating a different theme or colour of PJs to get and they spend Christmas morning opening presents and enjoying each other's company in their new PJs.

It's a simple tradition but I've always thought it was a wonderful one, especially for families like hers that live in different cities and come together over the holidays. Then all winter when they put on those jammies, I'm certain they are reminded of their special time together. So heartwarming.

I've decided to adapt this little tradition to my own family. My children are still quite young and always need new clothes. So I hope to make them each a brand new pair of pajamas for Christmas every year. Perhaps it will be their one gift they can open on Christmas Eve night and wear them to bed for the next morning.

I've got one pair down, one more pair to go.

What's your favourite Christmas tradition?

Tis the season!

watercolour: starting point

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:30:00 +0000

I hadn't intended on posting any of my watercolour attempts until I got much better at it.

But I've been neglecting my blog lately so today I thought I'd show one of the pieces I've done.

I've learned that watercolour is hard!! But I really enjoy the challenge.

As you can see, I have much to learn. But it might be kinda neat to track my progress as I go. So here is my starting point.

On a personal note, I have so many things going on in my life and have not had much time to create. Bear with me a little longer while I ride this wave and I'll be back to posting more very soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

the henry shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:30:00 +0000

By now I'm sure you've seen this book floating around blogland.

'Sewing for Boys' by Shelly Figueroa & Karen LePage

Having two boys of my own, I just had to have it. So when I recently scored some really great pillowcases at the Thrift store, I decided to use one of them to make the 'Henry Shirt' from the book. And believe it or not, the size 4 can be made using just one large pillowcase (+ 1 contrasting fabric).

The pattern said it was for the advanced sewer... but I of course I didn't read that until after I had cut all the fabric.

There was no turning back.

And yes, I was in over my head.

And there was a lot of seem-ripping.

One of my favourite features in this pattern is the built in pocket on each side.

All in all I'm happy that I attempted this pattern because I learned a LOT.

Now to put the snaps on!

Trick or Treat

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:22:00 +0000

I just added these to my Etsy shop!

Halloween bags for lil Trick or Treaters.

Just the right size to hold a fair amount of candy but they're not so big that they'll drag on the ground or get too heavy. I recently made some 'doctor' themed ones for a custom order too (sorry no picture).

They come in handy for storing all that loot after the big night.... if you can get it to last that long ;)

baby alexa

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:09:00 +0000

I'm starting to think I could devote an entire blog to just baby gifts!

Yes it seems that many of my friends are having babies these days. And it's wonderful.
I love making things for children and new babies.

Alexa is the second baby girl in this family and mom wanted something with baby's name on it to hang on the wall above her crib.

This is another project inspired by the Art to Heart: Winsome Baby book by Nancy Halvorsen, but I chose to use fabrics with a lot more punch and impact.

homemade soup and bread

I also like to give the gift of food when a friend has a baby. I've been there and really appreciated those homemade meals the most. It's like giving the gift of time. New parents don't have to worry about cooking for one night and can just focus on themselves and of course baby.

pajama pants

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:34:00 +0000

A good friend of mine is celebrating her birthday this week and I made her a little gift.

She's the kind of girl who has everything so it's a big challenge finding just the right gift for her. But really, who couldn't use another pair of comfy pajama pants?!

This friend of mine also has amazing taste.
In her home the backdrop is taupe. But I also know that she's not afraid of bold colour. So with this in mind, I thought it would be fun to make some 'Indian/Asian' styled pants.

I used New Look pattern #6139 and shrunk it down to an estimated size 6, because this friend is petite.

I like to look of a flat front so I altered the top of the pattern - encasing an elastic just in the back, rather than all the way around.

I also changed the bottom of the pants, making long slits up the side.

I made these using my favourite kind of thread.

Organic cotton thread.
Which sounds really expensive but really it's not when you buy it in bulk like this. This stuff sews like a dream and doesn't pill at all. It's amazing. If you are an avid sewer - give Wonder-Fil thread it a try. You won't be disappointed. This particular one I bought is variegated and I can get a lot more use out of it than just a solid. But solid colours are available too, although maybe not quite as many as Gutterman.

What do you like to give to that friend who has everything?

batik bags

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:24:00 +0000

Really good friends of ours are parents to twin girls who are turning 7 this month.

We bought them some small gifts but I wanted to give them each something handmade as well. I decided on little bags to carry small trinkets around with them.

I added a long strap to hang from the shoulder and a snap to keep them closed.

It was my first time sewing with batik fabrics and I think I might try to use them more often. They are stunning in person. These ones are from Benartex Fabrics. Bright, colourful and fun. And perfect for these girls. One favours pink and the other loves blue.

What do you like to sew/make for this age-group?

what I've been up to

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:17:00 +0000

Just thought I'd pop in to show you what I've been up to lately...

Although it doesn't look like much here...

I'm learning how to paint with watercolour! And I've got lots to learn so I don't have any pieces that I love enough to show you just yet. I'm hoping that will come soon.
Stay tuned...

a new era

noreply@blogger.com (Jo (@ boogaloo)) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:44:00 +0000

It's been quiet on this blog lately.

We've been really busy and of course, we're all adjusting to the new school routines.

Especially now that Evan has finally started school.

He just loves riding the school bus with his big brother.

And I think his big brother likes having him come along for the ride as well.